Tag Archives: Louisiana mom blogger

12 Ways to Style a Cozy Duster Cardigan

Morning everyone, I’m so excited because today is the day! The beautiful duster cardigan that I designed in collaboration with Gibsonlook is officially available for purchase and to celebrate I’m styling it 10+ different ways in today’s post to show you how versatile it is. When I designed it I had my #hauteofftherack girls in mind. This cozy duster is for the girl who works from home where loungewear is acceptable to the mom who wants to look fashionable without having to sacrifice her comfort. It’s for the the working woman who wants to look stylish, yet appropriate in the office and it’s of course for all the women out there who strive to dress effortlessly chic. Whether she’s at home curled up on the couch, running after her toddler at the park, out for drinks with girls or on a special date night, this duster is the perfect easy accessory that goes with almost every type of look. You’d be surprised how many different ways you can wear, but you just need to see for yourself. Scroll through this post to see all of the different ways.

12 Ways to Style a Cozy Duster Cardigan

MY SIZING AND HEIGHT FOR REFERENCE:

Most people don’t realize how petite I am so and I understand that knowing my sizes can help you determine what size to get.
Post pregnancy I am a size 27 in jeans & medium in high waisted bottoms, size S in tops (36C), size S in dresses, Medium in sports bras, small in leggings and XS-S in outerwear
– I am 5′ ft

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF with code: HAUTE20 | Curve Love Ultra High Rise Ankle Straight Jeans (wearing sz 28 short) | Brelanie Woven-Strap Mule | Lack of Color Zulu Rancher Hat | Cami Bodysuit (wearing sz small) | Gleaming Primrose Mirror

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Skye Cozy Fleece Jogger (wearing sz S) | Cinched Hem Tee (wearing sz S)

Gibsonlook makes the most amazing comfy and cozy loungewear so I of course wanted to design a piece in a category that they specialize in. I love how we used two of their signature colors and fabrics so that we could create matching sets with the dusters and joggers. The duster in toasted oatmeal matches the cozy joggers in toasted oatmeal perfectly and same for the grey. I highly recommend adding the matching joggers to your cart for a cute loungewear set to wear around the house this fall and holiday and be sure to take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Skye Cozy Fleece Jogger (wearing sz S) | Cinched Hem Tee (wearing sz S)

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Short Sleeve Surplice Wrap Top & Super Soft Knit Jogger (wearing sz S) | Pearly Velvet Headband (Similar budget friendly headband here) | Earrings & necklaces from ALV Jewels

Bracelets: Selena Cuff Bracelet Set of 3 in Vintage Gold | Holland Cuff Bracelet in Vintage Gold | Whitley Chain Bracelet in Vintage Gold | Kaia Bangle Bracelet in Gold c/o Kendra Scott

| Shop This Look |

The Toasted Oatmeal duster matches the darkest color in the leopard print joggers so they pair perfectly together.

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in grey (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Ribbed Knit Midi Dress (wearing sz Petite small) | Golden Goose Sneakers (similar here & here)

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Ribbed Knit Midi Dress (wearing sz Petite small) | Similar Snakeskin Boots

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Vegan Leather Shorts (wearing sz S) | Short-Sleeve Seamless Crew Bodysuit (wearing sz S) | Vince Camuto Women’s Reselm Heeled Sandal (similar here) | Gucci Belt

Jewelry: Holland Hoop Earrings in Vintage Gold | Selena Cuff Bracelet Set of 3 in Vintage Gold | Holland Cuff Bracelet in Vintage Gold | Whitley Chain Bracelet in Vintage Gold | Kaia Bangle Bracelet in Gold c/o Kendra Scott

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in grey (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Surplice Wrap Jumpsuit (wearing sz S) | Sam Edelman Women’s Linnie Mule

The Surplice Wrap Jumpsuit is the piece that got me hooked on the brand. I had purchased Gibsonlook pieces from Nordstrom in the past that I’ve loved, but this jumpsuit is the be-all end-all. I got it right after I had Beck and not only is it extremely comfortable and flattering, but it’s also nursing friendly. And let me tell you…nursing friendly pieces that are actually cute, comfy and practical all in one are super hard to come by.

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | Goodwaist Jeans (wearing sz 27) | Ruffle Trim Bodysuit | Gucci Belt | Codie Ankle Bootie

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in Toasted Oatmeal (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | KORAL Lustrous Legging | Adidas Hat | Cinched Hem Tee (wearing sz S) | nuna MIXX™ next Stroller | Air Max 270 Premium Sneaker

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Haute Off the Rack Cozy Fleece Long Belted Cardigan — wearing sz XS in grey (Designed by Jenn of Haute Off the Rack in collaboration with Gibsonlook) <–Take 20% OFF your entire Gibsonlook purchase with code: HAUTE20 | | Ruffle Trim Bodysuit | GOOD WAIST CROP NOTCHED WAISTBAND (wearing sz 27) | Daisana Block-Heel Sandal

| Shop Gibsonlook | <–Take 20% OFF with code: HAUTE20

This post is in partnership with Gibsonlook, a brand I love. All opinions and selections here are my own. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts who make this blog possible.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too Episode 2

August 8, 2020

Happy weekend everyone, today I’m sharing my second episode of “Have Your Cake and Eat it Too” on my Instagram stories at @HauteOffTheRack. “Have Your Cake and Eat It Too” is a new spinoff series from my silly “Haute Out The Oven” show. In this new show, my mom and I attempt to bake a cake together while also working out at the same time as our cake bakes in the oven so we can still have our cake and eat it too.

I’m about 3.5 months postpartum now and since my mom is a certified personal trainer on the side, we thought this would be a fun way to work towards getting back in shape and have you follow along with the journey. I hope you enjoy the series and attempt to make some of these recipes yourself. I also hope it inspires you to stay active and healthy especially if you recently had a baby and you’re now ready to get back to making your healthy a priority again as I know it can take a backseat when you’re more focused on taking care of your new baby. Last episode we made the most amazing chocolate cake and this time we’re making a delicious and refreshing Lemon Blueberry Cake. My mom found the recipe (here).

You can check out the cake recipe from our first episode here—> Have Your Cake & Eat It Too Episode 1 | I have all of the videos saved under my highlights under my bio on my Instagram: @hauteofftherack

haute off the rack

Wearing sz M in this floral dress, which also happens to be nursing friendly!

lemon blueberry cake recipe

You can find this gold and marble cake stand (here). It comes in two different sizes and this is the large one!

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 & 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature*
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups (345g) sifted all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)*
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
2 Tablespoons lemon zest*
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 medium lemons)*

1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh (258g) or frozen (do not thaw– 275g)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour –> to toss blueberries in!

***Fresh or frozen blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries are OK. If using frozen, do not thaw. Be sure to toss the blueberries in a little flour– this is extra insurance they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake.***

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
1 – 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch salt

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.

2) Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy – about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice *just* until combined. Toss the blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will lead to a tough, dense textured crumb.

4) Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. If only using 2 cake pans, your bake time will be longer. Bake the three layers for about 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Steps:

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired.

Assemble and frost:

First, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn’t make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

| Shop Our Activewear Looks |

My Look: Faux Leather Sports Bra— (wearing sz M) Faux Leather Cropped Leggings— (wearing sz S) c/o Spanx | MZ Wallace Metro Backpack

These Faux Leather Cropped Leggings fit amazingly and I actually wore the maternity version of them while I was pregnant. I’ve also been wearing the non-cropped version of these faux leather leggings for the past 4 years.

My Mom’s Look: Booty Boost Active— (wearing sz S)| White Tie Back Top

My braided hoop earrings are by ALV jewels and you can find my “B” necklace (here).

| Shop Spanx Activewear |

0-3 Month Old Baby Travel Essentials

June 22, 2020

Hey everyone, as promised, today I’m sharing our top travel essentials from our recent beach trip with Beck. My parents own a condo in Orange Beach, which is only a few hours away from us so I’m sure we’ll be traveling there with him a lot in upcoming months. During our last trip I got so many questions on what we packed so I figured I would share a full blog post on everything we actually used.

| Shop My Look |

Outfit: Tiare Hawaii Skirt & Top set | Initial Necklace | Kara Padlock Necklace | Gold Hoop Earrings | Beaded Bracelets

Beck’s jumper is by Velvet Fawn.

Scroll through this post to see our 0-3 month old baby travel essentials!

| Shop Beck’s Baby Bag |

2. Onesies | You can never pack enough onesies for changes throughout the day when it comes in 2 month olds.

3. Soothie | Pacifiers are a must for long road trips. We don’t use the pacifier too often at home. We usually only use it around nap time if he’s fussy. He tends to get a little fussy after sitting in his carseat for a long time too.

4. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment | I never go anywhere without aquaphor for myself so I do the same for Beck because we can use it soothe diaper rash, scratches from his nails and dry skin on his face.

6. Burp Cloths | We keep burp clothes all over our house for surprise spit ups from Beck so the same goes for traveling. We keep some in his diaper bag and on his carseat so he never has to sit uncomfortable with spit up on his clothes and same for our clothes too.

8. Swaddle Blankets | We love these breathable Newton baby blankets because they’re super lightweight.

9. On The Go Gray Bag Dispenser | This little bag dispenser is a life saver when it comes to dirty diapers on-the-go. They’re easily accessible on the side of the diaper bag and they’re lavender scented too to help conceal the smell.

10. Dr. Brown’s BPA Natural Flow Bottle | I still exclusively breastfeed, but next time we plan to bring a bottle for him in the car when we can’t stop in traffic and he’s screaming crying because he’s hungry. Also, we still use slow flow nipples on bottles when we give him one so that he won’t get lazy with breastfeeding since bottles are so much easier. Also, just a tip from personal experience, we hold him upright while we feed him bottles to slow the flow even more and prevent him spitting it all up after he’s done.

11. Soundspa On-The-Go | He sleeps with a sound machine at home so we packed it for him to sleep at night at the condo, but it’s also nice to have attached to his carseat to calm him and sleep easier in the car for long rides.

12. Colorblock Large Sutton & Tote Savvy | I own both the tote savvy and the large sutton, but we’ve mostly been using our Happ diaper backpack.

14. Nuna MIXX™ Stroller & Nuna PIPA™ Car Seat | We love the safety features on this carseat. Plus it’s super lightweight.

16. Baby Backseat Mirror for Car | I love having this mirror in our backseat so I can easily check on him using the rearview mirror. He also likes to look at himself in the mirror too.

How adorable is this cactus onesie from Monica & Andy? Beck wore this down to the beach with a hat and we just stayed in the shade for the short amount of time that we were down there. We didn’t pack a swim outfit for him because we didn’t plan on putting him in the water since he was only 8 weeks, but next time we’re packing this swimsuit with UPF 50+ sun protection.

| Shop Beck’s Travel Essentials |

1. Soak 3-Stage Bathtub | Baths are a part of Beck’s nighttime routine so we felt like bringing his own little bathtub was essential to try and keep things as close to his routine as possible and I’m so glad that we did.

7. Boppy Nursing Pillow | I actually keep a second poppy nursing pillow in the car for whenever we’re out and about so it’s easier to feed him so I just used the one that I keep in my car at the condo.

8. Concentrated Laundry Detergent(pods)| I’m surprised I actually remembered to pack his detergent, but we use a specific laundry detergent for him at home to prevent any skin irritations so I didn’t want it to be any different while we traveling either. It’s easier to pack the pods in a ziplock bag instead of the large detergent bottle though.

9. Deluxe+ Stage 1 Dock | We placed the dockatot in the pack n’ play for him to sleep in at night time and he slept in there perfectly. He usually sleeps in the halo bassinet with the halo insert at home so I was wondering how well he would sleep in something else so I was super glad he did well in the dockatot.

10. Swaddle UP Original | Beck loves his Love to Dream swaddle for daytime because he gets to keep his hands up and then we use his Ollie swaddle for night time. We made sure to pack both.

11. BABYBJÖRN® | I wore the Baby BABYBJÖRN carrier down to the beach so I could keep my hands free for carrying down other items. I highly recommend packing this carrier for travel or any events where you know you’ll have to walk around holding him for long periods of time.

12. Pack ‘n Play | We actually keep our Pack n’ Play at the condo, but it folds up really small and compact for convenience while traveling. ** See photo at the bottom!

13. Kick ‘n Play Piano Gym| I am so glad we brought his piano play gym for him to play with during the daytime since he’s still too young to play in the sand or the pool. Plus he’s obsessed with this thing. It’s probably our favorite toy for him too because it encourages him to use his legs for kicking piano keys and his arms for reaching toys.

Fun fact: 45 minutes before we took this photo Blake realized that he forgot to pack a shirt for family photos so he had to run to the nearest gift shop to find this Vineyard Vines button down shirt and it’s actually a really cute shirt!

This piano play gym is Beck’s absolute favorite toy to play with!

| Shop Our Dresses |

Left to Right: Navy Maxi Dress | Suarez Ruffle Dress | Tiare Hawaii Skirt & Top set | Christy Dress |

Deluxe+ Stage 1 Dock | Pack ‘n Play | Soundspa On-The-Go

The Pack ‘n Play also comes with a removable changing station and turns into the perfect contained play area when they can sit up.

Father’s Day Custom Pancake Board

June 11, 2020

Hey everyone, I’m so excited to celebrate Blake’s first father’s day next weekend. We’ll also be celebrating with my dad and stepdad too, but I plan to make the morning extra special for B since he’s a new dad. So I researched some fun breakfast ideas and since he loves sweets, I thought it would be fun to make him a custom pancake board for us to pick at all morning while we drink coffee and lounge around the house before heading out to our father’s day festivities. I came across the idea on Pinterest and recreated the board with all of our favorite pancake toppings. Much like a cheese board, you can customize the board to have to all of your favorite pancake ingredients like chocolate chips, bananas and peanut butter. I also made sure to include plenty of other fruit options too as well as bacon.

Scroll through this post to see the special guest who joined me on my recent episode of #HauteOutTheOven and to see how our pancake board turned out. Also, in case you didn’t know, #HauteOutTheOven is the name of my mini cooking & baking show on my Instagram stories!

If you also need father’s day gift ideas, I’ve got a ton of options for you from budget friendly options to splurge items that you can go in on together with your mom and siblings. See here—> Father’s Day Gift Ideas 2020

Pancake board ingredients:

1. 1 box aunt jemima pancake mix for pancakes (I used about 1/2 a box for this board)

2. 1 pack of bacon

3. 1 pack of fresh blueberries

4. 1 banana (cut in slices)

5. 1 pack of fresh raspberries

6. 1 pack of fresh strawberries (cut in slices)

7. 1 stick of unsalted butter

8. creamy peanut butter (JIF is my favorite!)

9. Enjoy Life mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

10. honey

11. pancake syrup (I served this in a gravy boat)

| Shop My Look |

Loungewear: Pajamas | Shearling Slide Slippers |

One of my sweet Instagram followers made this custom onesie for Beck and sent it to us as a gift. Her Etsy shop is called Choose Yours. Also, these mini sized kitchen utensils are from At Home stores.

Baby Moses Basket Bassinet | The stand allows you to rock the baby and easily move it around the house. You can also remove it from the stand place it in the crib for naps when trying to transition them into their own room.